Page 27 of May I Have the Pleasure
Fitzwilliam
1 April 1812
Gracechurch Street
My Dearest Jane,
What a fascinating world you portray. I hate to sound like our mother, but ‘A full colonel! A Red Coat! Son of an Earl! Oh, I will go distracted!’
Was that close enough? I must ask because as you well know our mother is a fickle correspondent at best; and given that I was driven out of Longbourn practically at sword-point, I have not had a single line from her, a fact for which I am eternally grateful. Since Mary has reported in her own quiet way that she still remonstrates against me several times daily to any who will listen, I do not rue the lack of correspondence. However, I am worried that her comments seem to be getting more vicious, and tending more towards the vulgar as time goes on, rather than receding as one would expect. Mary outright refused to repeat something she said in Lady Lucas’ company, so shocking it was. But I digress, and this letter is not about our mother, but about you.
I must say I am quite relieved for your sake that your colonel’s cousin, Mr Darcy, did not make his usual Easter trip to Rosings. If I had any idea the place was such a snake-pit of intrigue, I would never have suggested you attend. Charlotte is quite safe, but I imagine any Bennet would be tarred with the same brush I got in London. I am happy to find you will not have to put up with the insufferable man with no safeplace to run. I still occasionally have trouble going to sleep, knowing full well that a man of his consequence could find me easily if he meant me real harm. He has thus far been content to stare daggers at me, which is quite bad enough, I assure you, though still extremely confusing.
I had further word from Mary, and I ammostconcerned about something that I must depend on you and Mary to set aright when you return to Longbourn. I am to understand Mary King’s uncle has taken her away from Meryton, and Lieutenant Wickham is back to calling on Longbourn. I have written to Father, but I doubt he would listen to me if I planted myself in his book room for a fortnight and built a fire, let alone if I wrote to him. I am concerned about the handsome Lieutenant’s effect on our younger and sillier sisters. Lydia and Kitty are just flighty enough to do something ridiculous with that man or one of the other officers, and you know their mother will only encourage it.
You and I both know that marriage to a penniless lieutenant would in no way be suitable. Those two, in particular, are singularly unqualified to follow the drum, and they would starve to death in a month.
I have been thinking on Mr Wickham, and something puzzles me greatly. I still believe Mr Darcy denied the living. That part of the story rings true and accords with what I know of Mr Darcy, based on the actions we could see with our own eyes. The gentleman even admitted to a resentful and implacable temper himself when you were ill at Netherfield (boastedof it, in fact).
That said, I am most curious about what Mr Wickham has been doing these several years. I believe he is near in age to Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley, or your Colonel Fitzwilliam, and yet he is the lowliest Lieutenant in the King’s militia. He may as well be a common foot soldier. Granted, your colonel is the son of an Earl, but I would think a man of his years should have established a profession by now? If he were meant for the church and Mr Darcy denied his living, why has he notprocured another living, or even taken orders? Even Cousin Collins managed to get a living, and he is not the cleverest man we know.
I must say I trusted the lieutenant rather implicitly while in his company, and I rationalised his nearly instant abandonment of any cordial feelings for myself when Mary King acquired her fortune; but his rapid return to Longbourn does not speak well of a solid and dependable man. It speaks more of a fortune hunter. Please urge Papa to caution in that regard.
Now back to your Colonel Fitzwilliam! I can hear you protesting that he’s notyour colonel, but your descriptions of him make him sound like a more intelligent and worldly version of Mr Bingley, so do not give up if you truly esteem him. Guard your heart lest he become another unworthy, but I do believe Charlotte had a point. If we give men no encouragement at all, as is expected by our upside-down society with its rather nonsensical rules of propriety, not all men will have the courage to carry forward.
If you like the man, show him without being overt. If he esteems you, perhaps he will overlook our meagre portions. You are welcome to mine if it would help. Perhaps he has entirely enough income from his profession, prize money, or from his family to be comfortable. I have no idea how these things work, so that is as good a theory as any.
Of course, if you do not esteem him, then be polite for another fortnight and you will be done with him forever.
Your modestly concerned sister,
Elizabeth
Betrayal
11 April 1812
Gracechurch Street
My Dearest Most Beloved Jane,
I am frustrated beyond measure that you will not be able to read this letter, but I have become accustomed to working out my frustrations with the pen, so a letter it is—even though you will arrive in a few hours, and I will simply hand it to you in person, or just say the words.
I must apologise for the sorry state of the page, for my tears are doing considerable damage.
How could he? How could a man pretend to be a gentleman, yet say such a horrid thing?How can a man boast to someone he barely knows of how vicious his friends are, as if such would give you pleasure? Perhaps he confused you with Miss Bingley, as I am most certain she would have enjoyed the tale immensely; although since she was no doubt a principal in the thing, she would not need to be told.
I must congratulate you on the forbearance you showed in leaving the hateful man behind to retire to your room. You need not chastise yourself over your refusal to go to Rosings for tea, nor to come downstairs to talk to him when the insufferable man came to call without a chaperone, nor for refusing to take your leave of him when he took his leave. You in fact showed an admirable level of restraint, and it shows just how much your character is to be esteemed.
In my fondest wishes, I wonder what I would have done, were I talking to the scoundrel, and heboastedabout how his cousin Darcy saved Mr Bingley from theinconvenienceof amostimprudent match, and then revelled inhis cousin’s triumph.
In my dreams, I would either give him a setdown that would have him begging for his mother, or I take his walking stick and beat him half to death. In practise though, I believe my hated manners and even more despised timidity would have prevented both. I would have done just as you did. I would have left as quickly as possible, begged off visiting Rosings and spent the evening crying. Hateful Man!Hateful, Hateful Insufferable Man!!
I now find myself in a quandary. I cannot think of which of the three ‘gentlemen’ I think the worst of.
Mr Bingley is obviously either a rake just playing around with a country girl’s affections, or he is such a weak-willed milksop that he blows around as the wind carries him; and it apparently does not take much more than a breeze if he is willing to listen to advice fromMr Darcy, of all people.
Should you have shackled yourself to him, would he have been resolute and dependable, or would you have had his sister constantly underfoot, sneering at you, looking down at how you keep your home, and criticising how you raise your children? She would be little better than Lady Catherine.
